How we afford 3 kids on 1 income in our early 20s

Some of the things on this list are not going to be for everyone and I’m not saying you have to do this to save money or follow a list of rules to be a good parent. I’m just simply sharing what we did as parents to afford starting a Family at such a young age in this economy on one income!

1: no nursery room.

This might sound like a weird one, but it’s one that really sticks out to me because we’ve never had a nursing room! On social media every time someone gets pregnant, the first thing they do is set up a nursery with fancy decorations, and cribs, and changing tables and rocking chairs… there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this, but this is simply an expense we did without. We were gifted a crib, and that was all we needed. We didn’t repaint the room and we didn’t buy lots of decorations. It was simple, but it was loved and it had everything we needed.

2: buying almost everything second hand, or on Facebook marketplace.

Facebook marketplace and thrift stores have been our best friends! We’ve gotten a free crib and a free couch off of Facebook marketplace to name a couple. Often times when people are moving or trying to get rid of some thing they will simply market for free on Facebook marketplace so keep an eye out when you need something! Free items always go fast.

3: taking full advantage of our baby registry!

When we wrote up our baby registry, we didn’t add any baby, clothes or blankets. We mostly just asked for diapers and things that we needed like bed sheets for the baby and a stroller and other items that were completely necessary, which helps cut down on cost as we didn’t end up, having to buy almost anything, even if the items weren’t exactly what we would have picked out ourselves.

4: sticking to low cost activities.

When spending family time together, we often try to go for free activities like going to a forest, preserve or a park or the beach instead of focusing on things that would actually cost money.

5: not buying a lot of toys.

We don’t buy a lot of toys in this home especially because I don’t like a lot of clutter. We have specific toys that I know the boys love and we take out new toys as the boys get bored of the old ones.

6: working side hustles.

Both my husband and I have worked side hustles throughout the past six years of marriage to bring an extra income whenever we had an extra expense coming up or needed to pay off an extra large bill. I started a photography business that I worked for about a year and at another point I worked as a server in the evenings for a few months. These jobs were temporary, but they always help bring an income.

7: putting money aside for a rainy day.

We try to always keep our savings account stocked for any expenses that might be unexpected. This means if my husband gets a work bonus or if we make extra money from some thing instead of spending it right away or trying to find something to replace in the house, we simply put it aside for when it’s actually needed.

8: no, credit cards

My husband has a credit card, but I don’t own any, and we have never had credit card debt in our lives. If we can’t pay for it with cash or with the money we have in the bank account, we simply don’t buy it.

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